Besides the dancing dervishes, there is another set at Scutari, who howl; and their exhibition is also public every Thursday afternoon, about two o'clock. It is a mile and a half across the Bosphorus, from Galata to Scutari. The Maiden Tower, (or Leander's Tower, as it is sometimes called,) is a little building rising from the water, about which the old story is told of the favourite child, shut up until he or she was of age, because a prediction had announced an early accidental death, and being at last killed by a viper from some fire-wood. The same legend belongs to the Folly, at Clifton, and a dozen other places.
Landing at Scutari, which I imagine must be the most oriental portion of Constantinople, wc went up to the Convent of the Howling Dervishes, and were introduced into a square room, with a balustrade round it, and at the top a latticed gallery for the women. All around were hung rude musical instruments— chiefly little drums and tambourines: and against the wall at the end were battle-axes, and apparently instruments of torture, in great numbers —hooks, spikes, and the like. The dervishes, who were crouching on the floor, on sheepskins, did not appear to have any particular costume, as those at Pera; but each afterwards put on a felt skull-cap. Round the enclosure were other persons sitting, who appeared to be visitors ; one was a soldier. Some large-eyed unwholesome children were also of the party of performers; and a dancing dervish joined them before they finished. They went through a great many ceremonies of bowing, embracing, and repeating prayers, and at last got in a line at the end of the room by the railing, one or two of the elders still squatting in front of them. Here they commenced to chant, swinging themselves backwards and forwards, and then sideways ; getting quicker and quicker in their motions, like a railway engine going off, and shouting "La ilah illah-lah'' (There is but one God!) faster and faster, until they worked themselves up into an extraordinary state of frenzy, children and all. They kept shouting this monotonous line and throwing themselves about for at least half an hour: when the noise was so wearing, and the place so close and disagreeable, that I made my escape.
I could not exactly understand what induced these men to malm such fools of themselves. Certainly it was not for money, for none was given by the spectators, nor indeed was any solicited. Neither can I suspect it to have been for religious motives, for, to all appearances, a greater set of scamps had seldom been collected together. I must leave the explanation to those familiar with the mysteries of Eastern worship.
Sultan Mahmoud
Above that convent, there is another enormous burying-ground, through which the road runs—a perfect forest, with millions of tombstones. Here again the road is divided ; and its paved portion is at least ten feet higher than the dusty half. The proper complement of dogs and poultry were wandering about; and a large tomb, formed by a cupola upon six pillars, was shown as the grave of a favourite horse once belonging to the Sultan Mahmoud. Another was surrounded by an iron railing, upon which shreds of clothes were hung, in large numbers, as I had seen at the Giant's Mountain private tours istanbul.
A very hot walk of an hour took us to the top of the hill of Bulgarlu, from which the finest panorama of Constantinople, the Sea of Marmora, Prince's Islands, and the contiguous Asiatic country, can be seen.
I was much pleased, on my return to the Hotel, to find on my key-hook a card left by Lord Mandeville, who was staying at Misseri's. He had been attacked by robbers, a day's journey from Smyrna; and they had taken everything that he had about him. Whilst talking of the affair, a report arrived that Mr. Urquhart had suffered also from thieves, but on the sea—his boat having been attacked by pirates. These two misadventures made sufficient noise to prove that such robberies upon Eastern travellers were of rare occurrence.
The way in which the first robbery came about was this. The steamers of the Austrian Lloyd's Company arriving at Smyrna in the morning, do not start again until noon the next day, and so Lord Mandeville, and a gentleman who accompanied him,—Mr. Percy Herbert,—determined to spend their time in riding to Nimfi; where, a short time ago, one of the most ancient monuments of the world was discovered, in the shape of an enormous human figure, sculptured in the solid rock. It agrees closely with the description of a monument given by Herodotus, and is said to be a trophy of Sesostris.
No comments:
Post a Comment